How many recalls does the 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo have?

The 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo has 2 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo?

Of 6 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is engine and engine cooling.

1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 199,428 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 86V131000 1986-09-19 106,111 affected

Defect

THE PUSH PULL HEADLIGHT SWITCH MAY HAVE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WHICH ALLOW AN INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO FLICKER OR SUDDENLY GO OUT. CONSEQUENCE OF…

Remedy

REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AS NECESSARY.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 86V056000 1986-04-28 93,317 affected

Defect

THE PUSH-PULL HEADLIGHT SWITCH MAY HAVE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WHICH ALLOW AN INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO FLICKER OR SUDDENLY GO OUT. CONSEQUENCE OF…

Remedy

REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AS NECESSARY.

Complaints by component

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

114

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

Total complaints6

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“After being in an accident vehicle started to flip. Afterwards vehicle caught on fire. Dealership could not find out why vehicle caught on fire. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE · reported 2002-03-20

“Nar 02/10/2003. The consumers son was involved in an accident where all 4 occupants died. According to a previous complaint, the vehicle flipped over and caught on fire. No mention of possible defect. *jb”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2002-03-20

“Transmission fails to come out of lock up causing car to stall and shift erratically when restarted. I failure analized the psolenoid which was removed and found the mal-function to be caused by a blistering of the phenalic core material due to overheating thus causing the solenoid piston to stick…”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · reported 1998-10-01

“Wheel fell off of vehicle and collided with two other vehicles.”

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS · reported 1997-07-06

“Seat belt shoulder harness hangs up on top holder when trying to extract to use it.”

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING · reported 1988-01-01

“It's a model 200 4r turbo hydra 4 speed overdrive the rings are not hardened. *ak”

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Defect investigations

Investigation C89001 Opened 1989-03-06 · closed 1990-01-16

THROTTLE NON-RETURN

There is no summary currently available

Investigation PE89104 Opened 1989-03-17 · closed 1989-05-12

JAMMED STEERING MECHANISM

SUMMARY: THE OIL FILL TUBE MAY BECOME LOOSE, CAUSING IT TO FALL ANDPOSSIBLY BECOME LODGED NEAR THE STEERING GEAR.THIS MAY CAUSE THESTEERING MECHANISM TO BECOME JAMMED, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF VEHICLECONTROL.===

Investigation PE89145 Opened 1989-07-21 · closed 1989-09-22

PARKING BRAKE CABLE

===

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.